Panasonic Toughbook CF-U1 Hands-On (Akihabara)

Akihabara News has posted one of the first extensive looks at the new 5.6-inch Intel Atom-powered Panasonic Toughbook CF-U1. The CF-U1 is a “rugged’ type of device, made to withstand drops of around 3 - 4 feet and is sealed to protect it from exposure to moisture water.

They’ve posted about sixty pictures of Panasonic’s press conference / demonstration of the CF-U1 in Japan yesterday. There are a lot of closeups of the CF-U1, as well as it’s dock/charging station (it can be docked and charging extra batteries as well), plus a charging station for four batteries. The CF-U1 has a unique two-battery system that allows a battery to be hot-swapped with a fresh battery while continuously operating off of the other battery and without being plugged into another power source.

Included are pictures of the CF-U1 being liberally doused with water, as well as being dropped around three feet or so onto a piece of concrete. It’s very important to note, this is not meant to be used under water! (although the model was definitely pouring a lot of water on it during the demonstration).

Read: Akihabara News

Announced: Panasonic Toughbook CF-U1

Panasonic has formally announced the Panasonic ToughBook CF-U1, an ultraportable device powered by a 1.33GHz Intel Atom CPU. The device has been shown at various events going back to Cebit Germany, but today marks the official announcement of availability and pricing.

It has a 5.6-inch widescreen touchscreen display (putting it into the same class as the Fujitsu Lifebook U810 and its sequel, the Lifebook U2010). Storage consists of a 16GB or 32GB Solid State Drive (SSD). It will weigh around 1.06 kg (2.34 pounds).

One of the unique features is that the 61-key keyboard is directly under the display - it’s more of a Tablet form factor than a laptop, but it includes a full keyboard (that is split in the middle with a numeric pad taking up the center). There is an optional 10-key keyboard that functions more like an enhanced Tablet PC. It also features a two battery system that, in addition to the up to 7-10 hours of battery life, can allow for the batteries to be hotswapped for continuous use.

As with other Panasonic Toughbooks, it has rubber seals for I/O sockets (USB, etc.) along with other measures, to protect the device from water being accidentally splashed on it or dust getting inside. In addition, its rugged design protects it from accidental drops to the ground/floor.

It will be available in both North American and Japanese markets later this year (availability in Europe and other parts of Asia is not known at this time). North American customers can expect to see it in August, with a starting price in the $2500 range.

Read:
- Panasonic ToughBook page (Panasonic.biz, Translated from Japanese)

Announced: Dell Latitude XFR D630

Dell just announced a rugged version of their Latitude D630 (starting at $3899). It’s got a sealed keyboard (dust/rain/water proof), port coverts, outdoor-capable display (500 nits), supports the option of ahving a Solid State Drive (SSD) and if you need more space (or to lower the cost), you can get a traditional mechanical drive that’s shock-mounted.

If you want to tack on $500, you can get a resistive touchscreen LCD. It does meet the US Department of Defense’s MIL-STD 810F (same as the 13.3″ GammaTech Durabook D13RY, the 12.1″ GETAC A790 , 13.3″ GETAC B300 and the 13.3″ Panasonic ToughBook CF-30 and the General Dynamics/Itronix line) and it’s a follow-up to the Latitude ATG D620.

If you are wondering why I’m mentioning a heavy 14.1″ machine here, it’s because this represents a change in the ruggedized notebook industry (although you could argue that the ATG D620 kicked it off). With the exception of Panasonic, all of the above notebooks I mentioned are from specialized companies.

I’m not saying Dell is going to radically change the market for ruggedized notebooks anytime soon - the prices will still remain high simply because it is a highly-specialized field with requirements that are by their very nature, expensive and labor-intensive.

It’s still something to keep an eye on though, namely if they decide to put out a rugged version of their Latitude D430 line (something which would be major news). Dell doesn’t go into markets where they don’t think there is growth and a chance for profits, so they must be thinking the rugged market is only going to grow (similar to their getting into the convertible/Tablet PC market with their Dell Latitude XT).

You can read more about it at the Direct2Dell Blog or at the official site Dell.com/XFR

Announced: GETAC B300

Last week, LAPTOP Magazine announced a new, 13.3″ rugged notebook, the GETAC B300. At 7.7 pounds, it’s not exactly an ultraportable laptop, but considering what you get for something in that size, it’s going to generate a lot of interest in certain fields (military, law enforcement, outdoor, construction, etc.). It’s based on a 1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo. It’s not a replacement for the Getac V100 as the V100 features a touchscreen (and it was only announced in May of 2007).

Full details have pricing haven’t been announced, LAPTOP Magazine mentions March 2008, and GETAC is participating in the “2008 ESRI Worldwide BPC” which is taking place March 15-18, 2008.

Some of the Features:
- Industry’s first 1200 Nit screen
- Optional night visision capabilties
- Meets US Army MIL-STD-3009 night vision standard
- Meets MIL-STF-810F and MIL-STF-IP54 standards
- Can meet MIL-STD-461E “salt fog resistance compliance”
- Shock-resistant hard drive
- Optional EV- EV-DO and integrated GSP

Review: Panasonic ToughBook CF-74 (TrustedReviews)

This morning, TrustedReviews published their review (along with some amazing videos/animation) of the Panasonic ToughBook CF-74. The Panasonic ToughBook is exactly what it sounds like, a semi-rugged laptop.

The CF-74 they reviewed is the updated version of the CF-74, based on Intel’s Santa Rosa platform (the CF-74 was introduced over a year and a half ago, but has been updated to Santa Rosa, with new CPUs, with all other features remaining the same).

Among the features of the ToughBook CF-74:
- Durable case, made out of Magnesium Alloy
- Liquid/spill-resistant keyboard and touchpad
- Communications options include CDMA, EVDO, or EDGE, with an external SIM slot for other carriers.
- Shock-mounted Hard Drive
- 13.3″ non-widescreen daylight-readable, touchscreen.

While this weighs almost twice as much as some laptops with 13″ displays (and costs twice as much or more), people aren’t buying these for their offices, they are buying these because they have certain requirements for a laptop - to quote the review:

Although the CF-74 is only classed as semi-rugged, it can still survive its fair share of knocks, bumps and drops. In fact the last ToughBook CF-74 that I looked at didn’t seem to have any problem with being dropped from around a metre, as the image below highlights. Panasonic states that the data on the hard disk will remain safe even if the unit is dropped from 90cm, so it’s good to see that there’s a little headroom in there, in case your desk is a little bit higher than that.

The CF-74 also has doors protecting the majority of ports and connectors, while the keyboard is spill resistant. That doesn’t mean that you should use this machine out in the pouring rain, as you would a CF-30, but it does mean that you won’t have to worry about spilling the odd glass of water on it, or using it in a dusty environment. On the whole, this notebook is close to perfect for the majority of field workers, unless you absolutely, positively need your computer to keep working, no matter how extreme the conditions.

To get any more durable/rugged, you have to pay quite a bit more and add quite a bit more weight.

Review: TrustedReviews

Reviews of the Panasonic ToughBook CF-30 (aka toughbook 30)

Okay, the Panasonic ToughBook CF-30 (or toughbook 30, as Panasonic seems to be slowly renaming their toughbook lineup), it’s not exactly ultraportable, at a whopping 8.4 pounds, with a 13.3″ non-widescreen (toughscreen optional) display, while there are several 13.3″ widescreen laptops popping up at four pounds and under. Even though it just started becoming available at the end of last year/earlier this year, because of the amount of work that goes into designing and testing these kinds of laptops, they are usually a generation behind on the current CPU/chipset technology - the ToughBook 30 is no exception, it’s got a 1.66GHz Intel Core Duo Low Voltage L2400 CPU. Keep in mind this has met the MIL-STD-810F standards for toughness/durability, including moisture- and dust-resistant LCD, keyboard and touchpad, as well as ports/connectors that are sealed with removable covers. The hard drive is shock-mounted (and removable), as is the laptop, which is drop and vibration resistant. Generally, the people who need these, really need them.

It’s also one of only a handful of laptops in the 10″ - 13″ range that are “semi-rugged” (or in this case, “fully rugged”), and as such we are including it. This month, there have been a couple of reviews of the Panasonic ToughBook 30.

First up: TrustedReviews (with a video you have to see):

If you’ve been reading TrustedReviews for a while, you will probably have seen some of the previous ToughBook reviews and know that I have a tendency to put them through the grinder. I generally take the machines out to the car park and drop them on the ground, stand on them and pour water all over them while they’re switched on. To date, every ToughBook has survived the abuse I’ve thrown at it, so this time I decided to turn things up a notch.

Having been to Japan and seen the ToughBooks being tested, I know that they are dropped from a metre high from multiple angles, but that doesn’t stop me wanting to do the same myself – just to be sure. As you can see from the video, the CF-30 didn’t break a sweat being dropped onto the floor. Likewise, the CF-30 didn’t seem in the slightest bit worried when Andy ran up and jumped on its lid – in both instances, opening the lid revealed that the machine was still running Windows XP and was oblivious to the punishment it had suffered.

Next I opened up the CF-30, switched it on and proceeded to pour a jug of water all over it. The CF-30 isn’t just splash proof, it’s pretty much waterproof – as long as you’re not planning on using it on a diving expedition! This is why The AA equips all its breakdown engineers with ToughBooks, since they can still use them in the pouring rain (which is often the case in the UK), without worrying about them blowing up.

The second review, from a few weeks ago, ZDNet.co.uk

On the outside, the Toughbook CF-30 looks less like a notebook computer than some sort of case for hazardous material. Its integrated carrying handle helps to create the illusion. Open the clamshell, and things start to look a bit more familiar.

The 13.3in. screen has a somewhat old-fashioned XGA (1024 by 768 pixel) resolution rather than the wide aspect ratio that’s now common on both business and consumer notebooks. The display is bright and designed to be read outdoors in direct sunlight. It’s also touch sensitive, with passive touch-screen electronics that allow you to use a fingertip as well as the provided stylus, which stows neatly in the carrying handle. The idea is to allow the CF-30 to be used in a range of unusual environments where using the keyboard and touchpad is not feasible. Imagine dust, dirt and mud, for example, or situations where the user is wearing thick gloves.

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